May 14 Watch Senate Moves Closer to Reining in Credit Card Companies The Senate neared approval Thursday of a bill to rein in credit card companies, which could mean new rules will be in place by early next year. Ray Suarez reports. Continue watching
May 14 What’s the Story With Regulating Derivatives? By Business Desk Question: What’s going on with the just-announced regulatory reform of derivatives? Paul Solman: Plenty. And you could say it’s about time. One of the leading scandals of recent years (and that’s no easy feat, considering how crooked a track… Continue reading
May 07 What Is a Stress Test? Why Are They Being Done? Question: What are the stress tests? And why are they being done? Paul Solman: A stress tests is simply an analysis of a bank’s balance sheet. To determine what? Whether the bank is viable as a business. Or likely to… Continue reading
May 06 Are Examiners Preventing Banks from Lending? Question: I am a commercial mortgage broker in California. I have had nearly every bank recently advise that their examiners are preventing them from lending. How can we get out of this mess if the examiners, in effect, prevent the… Continue reading
Apr 29 What Are Quants? Question: What are ‘quants’? Paul Solman: Quantitative experts, or if you prefer, “number jocks” or “math whizzes” who have gone to “Wall St.” (ie, the world of finance). They construct formulas for investing and packaging investments. Take their… Continue reading
Apr 03 Watch Shields and Brooks on Economy’s Moves, Obama’s Trip Columnists Mark Shields and David Brooks weigh the news of the week, including what new unemployment numbers say about the economy, tough talk on the auto industry and President Obama's trip to Europe. Continue watching
Apr 02 G20 Pledges New IMF Aid, Passes on Stimulus Moves By PBS News Hour G20 leaders took big steps toward reforming a "failed regulatory system" that helped create the global economic crisis, President Barack Obama said after the summit concluded in London Thursday. Continue reading
Mar 26 Watch Geithner Details Plan for Major Federal Financial Regulation Reforms Telling lawmakers that the U.S. financial system has grown "too unstable and fragile," Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner rolled out the Obama administration's plans Thursday for a massive overhaul of the government's financial oversight role. Continue watching
Mar 19 Is the Federal Reserve Public or Private? By Business Desk Question: Is the Federal Reserve “federal” as the name implies, or is it as “federal as Federal Express,” meaning a private, for-profit corporation? I’ve heard it both ways and would like the answer clarified by a hard-hitting reporter whose willing… Continue reading
Mar 11 What Are Mark-to-Market Rules? Question: What are mark-to-market rules? And should they be changed? Paul Solman: When it comes to the current crisis, this is the question (or one major question): To “mark to market” or not to “mark to market”? Consider a… Continue reading